The Life of the Buddha: According to the Pali Canon

by Bhikkhu Ñaṇamoli (Editor)

This unique biography presents the Buddha's revolutionary solution for humanity that leads to the end of ill will, craving and delusion. Though born a prince surrounded by luxuries, Gotama the Buddha was transformed by realizing that no one escapes unhappiness. He spent the remainder of his life discovering, then imparting, the answer to the great question: "Is there a way out of the cycle of suffering?"

Drawn from the oldest written record, the vivid recollections of his attendant Ananda and other disciples bring us into the presence of "the awakened one." The Life of the Buddha not only demonstrates how to walk on the path to freedom; it offers profound inspiration and guidance for doing so.

Genres: Buddhism, Religion, Biography, Philosophy, History, Spirituality, Nonfiction

377 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[Kamakana · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you like this review, i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com

020713: my interest in buddhism has always been philosophical, more on the way, less on biographical details. so this is different for me. this is translation and quoting of the oldest extant written work on the buddha, his life, his doctrine, his community. while this gets to the source, i do not know if this gets you closer to the contemporary state of buddhist practice and thought, any more than the bible before king james got ahold of it, leads you to current Christianity...

so this tells of buddha's life and enlightenment, insight and reception and teaching, then some indication of what buddhism has become since. i have read bio on him before, i have read about 44 (102) books about him and his way, so there are no surprises in story told. but there are genuine surprises in the way the story is told: in repetition, in recognition, in revelation, showing the obvious heritage of the original oral transmission of teaching, of how buddha came to 'turn the wheel of damma'- that is, teach his insights- which are the familiar four noble truths and the eightfold path. but in early texts this buddha does not claim divine parentage, closeness to any god, performs no miracles, offers no metaphysical superstructure dealing with souls, sins, hell, heaven etc. he simply tells his insights- and somehow people of all strata of society want to become followers and leave whatever their life was behind...

so this is what i have always liked about buddhism: freedom by learning. i like also the idea you can be middle-class or wealthy but this does not discount enlightenment. i like that this is like the story of jesus's life but it goes on much longer, it seems more immediately popular, wise, shared, not written. this is perhaps the basic knowledge to buddhists in the same way as christian stories of jesus, basic and shared stories in your evangelical christian bible study class...

i give it a four not simply in my love of buddhism, but also because this shows his life, his teachings, his followers on a consistent and non-educated way that has nothing to do with philosophy. this is admirable life, honoured life, possible life, understandable life, unmagical life...

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beauty of this book is hard to describe. It is not an ordinary account of the Buddha's life. Using translations from the Pali Suttas, chronologically ordered and supplemented with the author's own introductions and additional information found in the Pali commentarial tradition, Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli has created an outstanding Dhamma book, offering not only a comprehensive account of the Buddha's Life, but also of his Teachings and the Path towards their actualisation. I highly recommend this book to all truth seekers!

[Anmol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic compiled narrative, based solely on the Pali Canon itself. That's something to think about: to reduce thousands of pages into 300 or so pages in a chronological narrative about the Buddha is a monumental task, and Nanamoli has done that really well.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Western-style gringo Buddhist for about half of my adult life, I felt I owed it to myself to finally read one of the OG texts of Buddhism, the Pali Canon (as original as a translation can be, anyway). While a slog at times--the repetitive nature of many of the sutras points hard at the oral tradition that birthed the dharma--I gained a lot of perspective reading this translation. So much of what I loved about Buddhism were later Mahayana or Western tantric teachings, far removed from the world of Siddhartha's India. The OG texts described meditation and enlightenment in very simple, even blunt terms (of course, simple doesn't mean easy). As a woman, I found myself sad, annoyed, and unsurprised at the patriarchal attitude extant here, and yet pleasantly surprised at the quiet heroism of Ananda, Buddha's right hand man and the only guy who spoke up against the Buddha to include practitioners like me. But then, could the Buddha have even imagined practitioners like me, over 2000 years in the future?

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all the ancient texts, that claim to be the word of the Buddha, there are confusing bits, where the memorized stories must have been corrupted. Nevertheless, this is an awesome more modern anthology of the Pali Canon.

[Craig Shoemake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best biography of the Buddha I've read, directly from the oldest strata of texts (the Pali).

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic idea for a book: tell the story of the Buddha's life by selecting the relevant passages from the large canon of the Suttas (the Buddha's discourses) and the Vinaya (the code of monastic rules laid down by the Buddha). Bhikkhu Nanamoli has done an excellent job, and the Buddhist Publication Society paperback is nicely produced and presented. This is the closest thing to an official biography of the Buddha, and well worth reading if you are a Buddhist or have an interest in that world-changing teacher of the 6th century B.C.

[Kieran Telo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meticulous assembly of extracts from the Pali Canon, arranged into a chronology (I would hesitate to say biography) of the life of the Buddha. The section on “the doctrine” is a very capable summary of the essential teachings and even if the other materials do not engage you these pages are essential reading. I would say that this is a book that anyone with an interest in Buddhism could gain a great deal of reward from. Quite brilliant.

[Joseph Harriott]

Beautiful. You really need to want to read this book, because it works straight from the Pali Canon, but with a helpful narrator trick to smooth the story for us. If the Lord Buddha means something to you, try this book. It's an accepted classic among western Theravadans, and has a timeless feel to it.

[Evie Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not always an easy read but an interesting one. It helps to have previous knowledge of the Buddha's life and teachings. I am concurrently reading "Awakening of the Heart" by Thich Nhat Hanh and find the historical context reinforcing.

[Dharmamitra Jeff Stefani · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the Dhamma you will ever need.

[Zardoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been interested in checking out Buddhism for many years and thought why not try out the Pali canon (The oldest known account of the Buddha). The author of this work arranged the Pali in a chronological order from the Buddha’s birth to death.
It was very insightful and covers the philosophy of Buddhism, while also providing a primary history of the religion as well. Buddhism is very unique as a religion/philosophy as it does not have a God to worship and provides a system to cope with suffering. There were supernatural aspects to the work, but the main message to enlightenment does not involve them.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meticulous assembly of extracts from the Pali Canon, arranged into a chronology (I would hesitate to say biography) of the life of the Buddha. The section on “the doctrine” is a very capable summary of the essential teachings and even if the other materials do not engage you these pages are essential reading. I would say that this is a book that anyone with an interest in Buddhism could gain a great deal of reward from. Quite brilliant.

[Ani · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing book on Buddha personality and teaching

The finest book written on Buddha’s teaching and his personality. The author takes the reader very close to Buddha on his own time and place.

Definitely, Buddha’s energy is filled in his book and the bare translation of Pali into modern English is an unbelievable task.

It is the blessing of Buddha deity that I was able to read this book.

[Barbara McHugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful way to gain an understanding of the Buddha's life. The book uses actual quotes from the Pali suttas to tell a comprehensive and coherent version of the Buddha's story, as well as providing the reader with a fair idea of the Buddha's basic doctrines. I highly recommend it.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Rome Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is fun. The life of the Buddha, told by excerpts from the original Pali canon.

[Exertion River · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing minimizing of embellishment in recounting the life of the Buddha and highlights of the Nikaya Buddhist doctrine using suttas and commentaries.

[Bob Peru · Rating 5 out of 5]

a clear translation from the pali sources of the life and teachings of siddhartha gautama.

[Maura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I couldn't finish.

Supernatural events treated as fact in texts make me identify less with any religion. This book read like a dry hagiography more than a biography.

The fact that the Buddha decreed that female monks had to be subservient to male monks in all ways depressed me. I guess it was nice that women got to choose to be Buddhists at all around 500 B.C.